Better Than They Know Themselves
by Betty La Bonita
Summary: This is a little tale in response to a friend's suggestion to see what happened after Betty happened upon Daniel out in her hallway, wearing his underwear.
1. Chapter 1

As she hurried away from the hallway, Betty tried to think about something besides seeing her boss in his underwear. What the heck was he doing, starting things up with Amanda? She knew they had gotten together in the Bahamas, but that was months ago, just to help Daniel get out of his funk after Molly died. Now they were...what, "dating" again?

She hoped that didn't mean he was going to try and go back to being "old Daniel", sleeping with every girl he met! She hated "that guy". He was smarter than that now. He had been a good husband to Molly, he had become a much better man. Why would he even think of going back to being the "man-whore"?

She texted him, as she walked onto the street, "Do you want to have lunch today?"

It only took a moment for her to hear back, "Sure! Lunch sounds good. Tony's on Sixth?"

"I love Tony's! At eleven thirty?"

"I know you do. I'll see you there. Hey, is this about earlier? You're not going to lecture me, are you?"

She sighed. Sometimes, Daniel seemed to know her better than she gave him credit for. But she wasn't going to let him know that, "No lecture. You're a big boy, Daniel."

She blushed when she received his reply, "Thanks for noticing."

"Haha! Very funny! I wasn't looking at you. It's a metaphor, silly!"

"Really? They didn't teach us fancy stuff like that at Harvard. And excuse me, but you definitely were looking!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Harvard boy! I just hate to see you go backwards. You've come so far."

"I'm not sure if I should say thanks for that or not. I told you, this is a no strings thing. She doesn't still have feelings for me. We're just friends. It works for both of us right now."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. It's your life."

"Stop rolling your eyes, Betty. And you've got that right. It is my life."

She made a face, "I am not rolling my eyes."

"Are too! I can see you from here!"

She stopped and looked up, just to be sure he wasn't actually watching her. There was no way he could see her. She was already down the block and around the corner.

"Do what you want with whomever you want."

"Thank you. I will."

"Even if it's not the right thing and you know it."

"This is you NOT lecturing?"

"I just know you're better than this."

"If you say so. Look, we agreed. It's just for laughs. Nobody is getting hurt."

"Except your soul."

"OH my God! Seriously?"

Betty hesitated then typed, "Sorry. I know it's none of my business."

"You got that right!"

She sighed, "I'm your friend. Don't I have the right to tell you when I see you making such a big mistake?"

"No! You don't!"

"Daniel, I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt!"

He didn't answer for a minute. So she texted, "Are you still there?"

"I'm here."

"Are you mad?"

"So, let me get this straight. You think I'm going to get hurt? You're worried about me? Not the other way around?"

"Yes. Amanda is sweet in her way and she wouldn't hurt you deliberately. But you're right; she isn't in love with you anymore."

"So? What's your point? I'm not in love with her, either. I never have been."

"Then why bother? Sorry, I guess I just don't think of _**that **_as _**casual**_!"

"You mean sex? What, you're too embarrassed to even **type **it? It's not a dirty word, Betty! You can stop blushing!"

"I know that! And for your information, I wasn't blushing!"

"Sure you weren't! Come on, we both know you're a terrible liar! When are you going to admit how well I know you?"

"Okay, fine! SEX! Are you happy? I don't think sex should be casual!"

"Haha! You know how cute you are when you're embarrassed? You should send me a picture."

He frowned, wondering if their conversation had just taken a turn past their usual "friend zone".

He put his hand over his eyes, Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him? He sounded like he was flirting with Betty!

He quickly wrote, "Just kidding. See you later."

That got him a smiley face. But he knew he had shocked her. Why did he say that? He would try and get her back to their usual banter at lunch. Should he bring her flowers or something to apologize for being inappropriate or would that just make things worse?

He glanced at the time and hurried to get dressed. Marc was in the shower and he didn't have time to go back home before he went to work, so he'd just run down to The Closet and get a fresh shirt and suit. Sometimes it was nice to have the perks of being the Editor-in-chief of a clothing magazine.

Betty was having an extremely hard time paying attention to the meeting when all she could think about was that weird text from Daniel and it definitely didn't help her to picture him in his stupid boxers! The man could be positively infuriating sometimes! He knew it drove her crazy when he told her how "cute" she was! What was she twelve?

After what seemed like hours, the meeting was finally over and she glanced towards Daniel's office and thankfully didn't see him there, before she turned to escape down the hall. Without looking, she hurled headfirst into someone, knocking them both down, "OH! Sorry! I wasn't looking where…DANIEL!"

She sat, stunned as he rose, then offered his hand to help her up, "Hey, Betty. It's fine. I'm used to your...gracefulness by now! Are you okay?"

She looked down and nodded, "Uh huh. Sure. I'm fine. Do you want to go get that lunch now?"

He glanced at his watch, "It's almost eleven. I suppose we could get a cup of coffee or something first, and...talk. Sure, I could stand a break after that long meeting, couldn't you?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You were in the meeting just now?"

"Uh huh, naturally I was. Didn't you see me?"

"No. I got there at nine thirty when the meeting first started and I didn't see you come in the whole time."

"Of course you did. You must have...okay, fine, I didn't make it, are you happy? Did I actually miss anything important?"

She shrugged, "Honestly? No. Not really. Ken's idea of trying to "bring back" leg warmers didn't really go over, so Wilhelmina cut him off after less than five minutes, then we had to sit through the rest of the time, reviewing expense reports. Sometimes, I miss Henry. At least he TRIED to make them...interesting."

"Well, you are the only one who thought that, Betty. You were in love with the guy, so you didn't see what the rest of us did; Henry's reports were just as boring as the rest of the finance department! And that's saying something! Sounds like I didn't miss much. Still, I should have been there."

She looked him up and down, "Why weren't you? I saw Amanda. She and Marc were whispering like little girls. So you weren't still with her."

He raised his eyebrows, "What do you care? Or are you trying to tell me in your not so subtle way that I'm not doing my job? If you must know...I had sort of a...fashion emergency down in The Closet."

"A what? What does that mean? Did you...Oh, never mind. Sorry! You're right; it's none of my business. I tell you what; from now on, I'll mind my own business. I promise! Deal?" she held out her hand.

He raised looked at her curiously, "Uh, who are you and what have you done with My Betty? I mean...that's not really like you to say. Do you mean it?"

She nodded, "I do. I was out of line before. I had no right to tell you who to...um date. I'm your friend, but that's not a reason for me to give you unsolicited advice. Especially when it comes to your love life! From now on, I'll keep things more...casual. I mean….less personal. You know what I mean!" She looked slightly flustered.

"I do. And...thanks, Betty! I know you're only looking out for me. I get what you were trying to say. You think I need to only date intelligent girls who...will make it harder….um more difficult to sleep with them. Is that what you meant? Have a real relationship with the woman before I just jump into bed with them, right?"

"Exactly!"

He nodded, "I suppose I could try that. Of course, that means no sex for a while. At least until I can meet Miss Perfect, then get to know her, then wait till we are both ready to take things to the next level. So that will all take at least a month, right?"

"A MONTH? Are you kidding me?"

He laughed, "Yes. I am. You should see the look on your face, Betty! It's hilarious!"

She shoved his arm, "You're so mean!"

"I know. I'm a very bad boy. I'd say I'm sorry, but you'd know I was lying."

"That's true. You're as bad a liar as I am!"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far!"

"It's true. You can't! It's probably something to do with your blue eyes. They give you away. You can't look someone straight in the eyes when you're lying. You always look down."

"Yeah, that's what Alexis always tells me, too! You start biting your lower lip. Which is very cu...um...what am I supposed to say? I know you hate it when I say that about you, but It IS cute and adorable!"

She rolled her eyes, causing him to laugh, "I KNEW you were rolling your eyes before. Admit it; you were! I bet you started looking around when I said that to make sure I wasn't watching you."

She blushed, "FINE! You were right; okay? I guess...you do know me pretty well. Are you happy?"

He grinned, as he held out his arm for her to hook hers through to walk together to the small, family-owned Italian restaurant, the perfect distance from the office to make them feel as if they were a world away from Mode and all it's drama, yet close enough to be a comfortable walk.

After they had been seated and ordered their "usual", Daniel leaned back, looking directly into her eyes to gauge her reaction, "Why do you think Amanda's going to "hurt" me?"

"I told you. I know she would never deliberately hurt you, Daniel. She used to have feelings for you, genuine feelings. But now...I think she's moved on, and she's still looking for the guy that's right for her.

When she does find him, I'm afraid it might hurt your pride. You're very sensitive. More than your realize. I know it made you feel second best when your father made up with Alexis and asked her to be his best man…"

He held up his hand, rolling his eyes, "Fine! Whatever! I'm sorry I asked. I don't need a psycho analysis. Anyway, forget I brought up Amanda.

I wanted to talk about us, Betty. Uh...what I said before. It was...well, it wasn't right for me to say that. I'm sorry. Can we please forget it? I really didn't mean to make you feel...uncomfortable. I realized the minute I sent that text that it was...inappropriate. I was just teasing and...uh got carried away."

She thought for a moment, biting her lip, then nodded and smiled, "Of course, Daniel. It never happened." She stuck out her hand and he shook it. He looked down at her small hand in his, wondering why he always felt so strange when he touched her. It wasn't like they ever did anything other than held hands or patted one another. Or of course, one of her amazing hugs.

But it was so totally nuts that out of all his assistants, Betty got the crap from people at Mode thinking...well that something was going on between them. And yet, they were perfectly innocent. Not even a kiss on the cheek or hand! He liked that about their relationship. It was pure, and beautiful and special. Just like Betty.


	2. Chapter 2

Some things gave Betty hope about her future and made her realize that she was very lucky. Considering how far she had come in only a few years, and that she was now writing up her interview with Zachary Boule, she could honestly say she was very excited about where her career seemed to be going.

She still couldn't believe what she had done during said interview, however! That was SO unlike her! What on earth was she thinking? Kissing him like that? Was she really that desperate? That lonely? Matt had been gone a long time! Still...she wanted to feel loved again, to feel a man's strong arms around her again.

She closed her eyes, then felt strong hands, massaging her shoulders and heard a soft, low voice in her ear, "Wow, you're really in the zone, aren't you? How's it going? How was your thing last night?"

Her eyes popped open and she stiffened her shoulders, as she quickly got out of the somewhat inappropriate prose she had started writing, something about Zack's dashing smile! Keep it clean, Suarez! She chattered like a monkey, "It's going fine! But it's not a 'thing'! You mean my interview with Zack? Zachary. Zachary Boule! It went fine. Why do you ask?"

Daniel laughed, and stepped back, wondering if his close proximity and touching her shoulders like that, too intimately was making Betty nervous or something. She was sure jumpy! "Okay...sorry! I didn't mean to freak you out. Are you okay? I guess I shouldn't have...startled you like that."

"You didn't...startle me. I'm fine."

"Then why are you acting so weird?" Shit! He had stepped over the line. He shouldn't have massaged her like that. She was totally freaking out. He knew she had been acting really jumpy and secretive or something ever since that time he asked for her to send a picture. He really had to learn to respect her boundaries. Clearly, Betty didn't like him to...touch her!

She jumped up, "Weird? I'm not acting weird. You're acting weird!"

"I'm really sorry, Betty. I didn't mean to…"

"ZACK! Zachary! Mr. Boule!"

Zack popped his head in the door, "Hey, Betty! I just wanted to follow up on our thing last night."

Daniel grinned and put his hand to his mouth, "He called it a THING!"

Betty stood not knowing what to do or say for a moment, then she gestured between the two, "Um, Daniel, this is Zachary Boule, the playwright I'm interviewing for the article. Mr. Boule, this is my boss, Daniel Meade."

The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, then Betty led Zack out to the elevator and began apologizing to him for acting so unprofessional when he ambushed her with a kiss.

She wasn't sure about lying to Daniel, but Zack convinced her that "sneaking around" would be exciting and she surprised herself again by going along with him. She enjoyed his attention. It made her feel wanted.

But she was no spy! She sucked at hiding their relationship even from Amanda! She knew Daniel could tell something was off with her. And when Zack had left, kissing her goodbye, sure enough, she turned to see Daniel standing there, with a look she didn't recognize on his face, "DANIEL! I'm sorry! Let me explain….I have no explanation!"

"I think I can put two and two together, Betty. You convinced me to let you interview the guy, but all you really wanted to do was date him! Just like I said from the start and you denied! Am I right? I knew it! You lied to me! And you've been sneaking around all this time with the guy?"

Betty nodded, bowing her head in shame and guilt. She didn't know what to say. Daniel had every right to be furious with her. She had been "sneaking around" and hiding her relationship with Zack, especially to Daniel. The man who trusted her, who had given her her start.

She knew she would probably still be cleaning up at the cat hospital or working as the "chip chick" if it wasn't for him. She owed him everything. She hated lying to him!

She looked up, her face a mess, as she wiped at her eyes, "I'm so sorry! I should never have hidden my relationship with him from you of all people, Daniel! You're my best friend!"

"Do you have any idea what you've done? You could lose your journalism license!" he tried his best to keep a straight face, but looked down. Dammit!

Betty looked slightly concerned for a moment, but saw that Daniel was cracking up, "My...journalism...wait, my what? DANIEL!" she hit his shoulder as he burst out laughing, "Very funny! I was so worried you would find out. I hated keeping this from you!"

He sighed, pulling her to him for a hug, "It's okay, Betty. You're really adorable when you're mortified. I'm flattered that you were so worried about what I thought. Who am I to judge you, anyway? I...well I haven't been completely honest with you, either."

She pulled away and smiled, through her tears, "What, you mean about you and Amanda, still fooling around? Please! Daniel, I live across the hall, remember? I'm not an idiot!"

He was the one who looked guilty this time, but he shook his head, holding out his hands, "I didn't mean that, exactly. But yes, you're right; I didn't break things off with her when I said I was going to. Mainly because ...well, you know me. You know why; because I wasn't ready to give up…"

She stepped back and raised one eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest, "The sex? Big surprise, Mister Sex-aholic! Like I thought you would!"

"Right, thanks! Anyway, tonight, she...uh...told me she met someone else and she wants to...date the guy."

Betty shrugged, "So? I thought it was 'casual'? Wasn't that the idea? Are you telling me…"

"You were right about it hurting my pride? Fine, you know me, Betty! Are you happy? But that's not the biggest problem."

"What is?"

He sighed, "The guy she's seeing is TYLER!"

She widened her eyes, "Tyler? Your BROTHER?"

"Yeah!"

"WOW! Okay...that's...intense!"

"I know; right? I mean...what the hell am I supposed to do with that? Tell her no, she can't date him? Like you said, it was supposed to be casual! But why HIM?"

"I guess...she wanted something more than...casual!"

"I can do more than casual!" he seemed annoyed as he ran his hand through his hair.

She rolled her eyes, "Okay! But is that what you really want? I thought you said you and Amanda didn't love each other? Don't make this into a competition, Daniel! You're not competing over a race with Alex or something! Or you and Becks, betting a dollar over who can 'bag' the hottest model!"

He let out a breath, "You really do know way too much about me, Betty!"

She laughed, as she heard her phone buzz and answered, "Hey, Justin! I... what...are you sure? You saw him on what? That's hardly...but he just left! He said he was going to check on his mother. Seriously? I...okay. Thanks, honey. I'll check it out."

Daniel looked at her with concern as she scrolled on her phone to a video her nephew had sent her that was evidently running on Fashion Buzz about Zack and his "latest conquest", another new starlet. He must have hopped on his motorcycle immediately after he left her and rushed off to Club Z to dance the night away and of course the paparazzi was waiting!

She silently handed Daniel her phone, and as he watched, she grabbed his arm, and opened the door, leading him out "Come on, I think we could both use a drink!"

"But you don't really drink."

"I do now!"

"Fine, but I'm not touching one of those stupid girly Mango Margaritas! I want good Scotch! You should try it, too. You might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it if you gave it half a chance."

"Sure! Whatever! Who cares?"

He could tell she was not only angry but extremely hurt. Not that she had time to really fall for the guy. This was something else, something deeper, more personal. She had that look. The one he hated to see. She didn't get it that often, because Betty was a fighter and she didn't usually let other people's opinions of her get her down.

But he knew her every expression. She looked very much like she had when that moron musician that she had the crush on started macking on Amanda and hurt her feelings incredibly, especially after the poor girl had gone to so much trouble to get his stupid band a gig!

He stopped and turned to her, picking up her chin to stare into her eyes, then he held her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him, "Hey, listen! Don't you dare think this is about you, Betty. Because it's not! The guy was obviously just a publicity hound, that's all!"

She shook her head, her eyes glossy, "I fooled myself into thinking I was hiding him from you, but the truth is, he was hiding ME from the world, because I wasn't good enough for him to be seen with in public!"

He pulled her into a hug, "Betty, first of all, he's the one who's not good enough for you! Clearly, this is a guy who's listening to all the wrong people! He's trying to make a name for himself, so he's got his publicist telling him he has to be seen out with the kind of girl that gets him the most press! Don't take it personally. The guy's a tool!" He put his arm around her protectively, and led her towards the bar.

He hated to have her feel down on herself. This jerk had really done a number on her self-esteem. That was all she needed; to have that idiot making her feel like she wasn't good enough to be seen with him. It made Daniel furious on her behalf. As they went to the local bar and had a few drinks, his anger grew. How dare that little dweeb hurt his Betty? Who the hell did he think he was, anyway?

Daniel lifted up his glass, "To Betty! The best girl I know! May the Zachary's of the world all have their balls fall off! I curse the jack ass for hurting my friend!"

Betty clinked her glass against his. She drank the liquor down, feeling its smooth warmth slide all the way down to her toes. Daniel was right; it wasn't bad. It made her feel numb, which was exactly what she needed right now; not to feel anything. She was happy to be with her best friend, grateful to hear him say such nice things about her.

Daniel squinted at her, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, "You know, Betty, that guy really is an idiot! You're beautiful! You're kind, and sweet and really smart and funny! If he doesn't want you, I say, screw him! It's his loss! You can do so much better than that little dweeb, anyway! You'll find someone who's twice as good as him!"

She smiled weakly, grateful for the support but still not really feeling all that confident right now. "Beautiful? I'll own up to smart and maybe funny sometimes, when I trip or something, and I try to be kind, but let's not get carried away, Daniel.

We both know the truth here. I'm not now nor have I ever been 'beautiful'. Not on the outside, anyway, where it counts to the world! I like who I am, but I know I'm not...conventionally pretty, I'm no movie star or beauty queen. Especially not with these stupid things!" She made a fake smile, showing her braces.

Then she remembered the funny "business card" Zack had given her from his orthodontist, and held up the paper teeth, "Maybe, now, huh?"

Daniel blinked as he looked up, "Uh, yeah! What's that?"

She shrugged, as she handed him the card, "It's Zack's orthodontist. Mine went crazy, remember? I've been looking for a new orthodontist, and Zack gave me this tonight. He said this Dr. Frankl was the one who took his braces off and she did a great job."

He handed her back the card, "Yeah, well, you should call her and get yours off, too. I happen to think you're already a very beautiful girl right now, Betty. But I bet when you do get your braces off, the 'rest of the world' like Zack will see just how gorgeous you are, too! Then you can really show that asshole how stupid he was for not appreciating you when he had the chance!"

Betty looked at the card and nodded, as she put it back in her purse, "I will! And Daniel...thank you! You always know just what to say to make me feel better about myself."

He smiled, shrugging, "Uh, sure, no problem-o! We're friends, right? Hey, you wanna go to that club and see if I can still get better press than Mister wannabe writer?"

Betty chewed on her lip, thinking for a moment, as her eyes shone, "You really wanna dance with...ME?"

He straightened up, and held out his arm, "Hell, yeah! You're a great dancer! You can finish showing me how to do the Salsa. I'd be proud to take you out dancing, Betty! Let's go show that guy how it's done!"

"Okay, but...no more booze! I'm getting dizzy! I don't want to fall down when we're dancing."

He nodded, "Sure, we can get coffee there. How many Scotches did you have?"

She held up three fingers, "Two!"

He laughed, feeling a slight buzz himself from the three shots he had, "Lightweight! Are you sure you're alright? You don't need me to take you to bed? I mean...um put you to bed...to...you know, sleep!" SHIT! He hated how loose his damn mouth got when he drank sometimes!

Now she got that really cute, embarrassed blush again, "NO! I'm not a baby! I'm fine, Daniel! I can still dance circles around you! Especially when it comes to Latin dance, Gringo!"

He grinned, seeing her dancing around him, literally. She was pretty good, actually. Clearly, the alcohol had made her less inhibited. Which in his opinion, she could use sometimes. She was too uptight. Always worried what people thought. Who cared? Okay, maybe he should care a little more.

But together, they made the perfect team. He was more worldly, impulsive and charming. And Betty was good-hearted, brilliant and organized. And very cute right now, dancing around him as they headed to the corner, to catch a cab.

As he helped her inside, he laughed, "Okay, dancing queen, can you...stop wiggling around a little bit until we get inside the car? Just wait till we get there! Then you can dance your ass off!"

She burst out laughing, as she got in, "Yeah, that would probably help, huh? Maybe if I was a stick insect, guys like Zack wouldn't dump me for girls like that!"

"Scoot over, and let me in." when she complied, he shook his head, and took her hand in his, "Betty, stop it! You are NOT fat! You're...curvy, which a lot of guys, myself included happen to think is very sexy, okay? You know damn well that models are just human hangers.

Designers only care what's going to make their clothes stand out. If it happens to be an unhealthy weight for the girl who has to put it on, they don't care about that! You ARE beautiful, just as you are, right now! Get that through your thick skull, okay?"

She laughed, shoving his shoulder, "Thick skull? Excuse me! What happened to you being nice to me?"

He shrugged, "I AM nice! But you're stubborn! And very bossy! Sometimes you need to have a man who will stand up to you, you know? You're way too good for all these damn losers you keep going after! They're a waste of your time. Not to mention your heart. You need a real man, Betty. One who appreciates just how special you are."

She blew out a breath, not sure what to say, "Thanks, Daniel."

Once they got to the club, they danced and had an amazing night, letting loose and enjoying themselves together. She showed him the Salsa, the Mambo, and the Meringue. He did know how to dance, but he had let himself get intimidated back then. Now, he saw, with the right partner, he actually did quite well. They looked great together on the dance floor.

After pulling her back to him and holding her closely, he looked down at her, her face flushed from dancing and smiled as he touched her cheek. He didn't know why but he had the crazy idea to kiss her for a moment.

He blew out a breath, trying to shake off that feeling, the feeling like he had to have her. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? First, that text, then massaging her, now what? She was his friend, dammit! Betty was...off limits!

She surprised him by pulling him down to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, Daniel! This was so much fun! I needed this. You're a really good friend."

He nodded, a little taken aback by her kiss, but shrugged it off, "See, we can have fun, Betty! I bet you're not even thinking about what's his name."

She smiled and blushed, "Who?" but then her eyes got wide, "Zack!"

Daniel pouted, "You're supposed to forget about that idiot, Betty…" he turned and saw, "Oh, YOU! What the hell are you doing here? I thought you already left to chase your next model."

"You're sort of...stealing my thunder, Mr. Meade! You've been around a lot longer than I have and I know you still make page six a lot easier than I do! But I thought you had...sort of retired from all this."

"Your thunder? How about your girl? Or should I say, former girl? Mr. Meade? Wait, did you just say retire? How the hell old do you think I am? And by the way, Betty's here with me! So deal with it! You don't appreciate a real woman like her and want to go chasing some stupid model or whatever...it's your loss. Oh, hey, Stella. How's it going? Sorry, I didn't know it was you!"

"Hey, Daniel. Long time no see, handsome! I thought you were done with clubbing."

He looked down at Betty, and shrugged, "I thought I was, too. But I found a girl who's a good dance partner. What the hell are you doing here, wasting your time with that jackass, Stella? Do you know he just left a date with Betty then ran off to be 'seen' with you just because you're on the front page of my magazine?"

The tall, stunning blonde turned and glared at Zack, then pointed to Betty, "You were out with Betty, then you used ME just to get publicity? You jerk! I happen to work with Daniel and Betty at Mode! Sorry, Betty, I didn't know you two were dating! He didn't tell me!"

Betty shrugged, "It's okay, Stella. I know you didn't. He talked me into keeping us a secret!"

Daniel stepped aside, and grinned, "So, should I punch him, ladies, or would one of you like the honors?"

Stella gestured to Betty, "Betty, you had him first, sweetie. You get dibs."

"Thank you, Stella! It's my pleasure! Like you said, Zack, I should follow my instincts and do what feels good. Oh, and I'll make sure you get on page six! Which is your good side?" She leaned back and hit him as hard as she could.


	3. Chapter 3

The paparazzi was having a field day after Betty's altercation with her ex. As they gathered around Zack, Daniel saw his opportunity and grabbed her wrist, "Come on, let's get out of here! Stella-you got this?"

She smiled, shrugging, "Of course! I can handle the spotlight! You two go! Bye, guys, I'll see you at Mode on Monday for the next shoot! Have fun! Oh, and sorry, Betty! Looks like you got an upgrade, though! Daniel's the real deal. This guy is just...yesterday's news!" the lovely model blew Betty and Daniel a kiss as Daniel pulled her away.

As for her part, Betty was still in shock. She had HIT someone! Yes, okay, maybe Zack deserved it, but still. It wasn't like her to do something like that. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't have had so much of that Scotch! She felt so strange.

Dancing with Daniel had been a blast. He always made her feel happy and special. While they were dancing, she even felt...sexy! He was really a good dancer. He made her feel beautiful. They had been drawing a crowd on the dance floor. She didn't normally go "clubbing" much, herself. But especially when it was Latin dancing, she really enjoyed herself and felt confident.

She looked over at Daniel now, as they rode off, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. He seemed suddenly distant, no, that wasn't right. He seemed afraid of her. Because she punched Zack? That didn't make sense, either. It wasn't like she had any reason to be angry with Daniel. She put her hand on his and noticed him flinch, "Daniel? What's going on? Why are you acting so...afraid of me?"

He narrowed his eyes, and shook his head, "What? Afraid of **you**? No! Betty, it's not that at all, honey. I'm not…" _What was he supposed to tell her? I think I'm getting turned on by my best friend and I'm afraid I might hit on you and screw up our friendship forever? _That was the last thing in the world he wanted to happen!

His relationship with Betty was the most special and precious and wonderful thing on earth to him. He never had a woman he could be friends with before. He always messed things up, usually by bringing sex into the equation.

He recognized those all too familiar stirrings within himself and fought to keep control. Why was she starting to dress...well, more sexy? He hated himself for looking at her...that way! He was such a pervert! He couldn't be himself lately, he couldn't just say whatever silly thing popped into his head anymore without worrying he was going down the wrong path, one that would lead to him making a jackass out of himself and coming onto her!

He looked down, making absolutely sure he kept himself in check as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Betty. I forget sometimes how well you know me and my...moods! I guess what I am afraid of is..how this will look at work. I was just trying to help my friend, to make you feel better. And I had a really great time, but...I forget sometimes that I am your boss. I don't know how...people will interpret us...being out all night like this and dancing together.

I could care less what anybody says about me. I've heard it all. I deserve it, because hell, most of it is true! Or at least, it used to be. But you don't deserve that! Your reputation is very important to me, Betty. I know people at Mode already say things about us. They think we're...together."

She nodded, looking up at him, and took a deep breath. She could tell he was having a difficult time expressing how he felt about the rumors at Mode. Of course she was well aware that women at work were all incredibly jealous of her, that she was "Daniel's girl" in the sense that he listened to her ideas, he cared about her, and he obviously showed her favoritism.

She knew she hadn't done anything to warrant the snide gossip, the mean-spirited whispers about her. But women can be downright evil when they want a man and think another woman "has him", especially someone who was so easy to make fun of, like her. What did Daniel possibly see in the "ugly girl"? She must be very good at whatever she did for or to Daniel to make him overlook all her obvious faults!

"I know that, Daniel. And it's sweet of you to worry about me. But honestly, I don't care what they say, either! It was totally worth it! I had a great time-dancing with you and...punching that jerk!"

He laughed, holding her hand up and raising his eyebrows, as he looked at her fist, "You've got one hell of a right hook, there, my tough little Queens chick! Remind me to never piss you off! At least not so much that you'd want to punch me! That was pretty awesome!"

She hugged him and whispered, "You're pretty awesome, too, MIster Meade! Thank you, Daniel! For...well, everything tonight. You helped me see that I'm not going to hide anymore."

He smiled, and kissed her hand as he looked into her eyes, "Good! You shouldn't ever let anyone make you feel invisible. You were meant to stand out, Betty. In a good way! You're no 'ordinary' girl, you're very special. I'm glad you had a good time tonight. I did, too. Goodnight!" he kissed her on the forehead, then squeezed her hand as she got out of the cab and waved to him.

"Goodnight, Daniel! See you Monday."

As he watched her leave, he let out a breath, and leaned back against the seat, _he was totally screwed! _

Betty was greeted at her door the minute she walked inside by her sister, waiting up on the couch and shoving her phone in her face, "Hilda? It's late! Why are you still up?"

"Yes, mami, I know what time it is! My son has me checking that stupid Fashion Buzz thing, now! Did you know-you were on it? You're all over the internet! You're like a legend! A bunch of girls are writing stuff about how you 'struck a blow' for all women who get dumped for prettier girls and the model he was with after you is super pissed at that Zack guy you punched, too, saying he just used her to get fame, he never really cared anything about her.

You're a hero! They're calling you a 'feminine icon'! By the way, what's up with you and Daniel? They're showing video of you two dancing and you look … pretty hot together!"

"Geez, does EVERYBODY record video on their phone now and post it to social media like instantly?"

"Well, uh, yeah. They do. Where have you been for the past like five years, honey?"

"I know. It's just...such an invasion of privacy sometimes!"

"Thanks for your social commentary. You didn't answer my question about your hot boss, though, did you?"

"My 'hot boss' was out in the hall the other morning in his underwear, after his 'casual' fling with Amanda! I walked out of here, only to get an eyeful of him as I walked outside!"

Hilda laughed, "I bet that was a better wake up call than coffee, huh?"

Betty rolled her eyes, "Are you done? Anyway, after my 'secret dating' with stupid Zack sort of blew up in my face last night, Daniel told me that Amanda had dumped him for his half-brother, Tyler! So we both went out and had a few drinks, then decided to go dancing at the Club."

"The club you KNEW Zack was at? So you went there, basically trying to make him jealous, dancing with Daniel?"

"No! Maybe, sort of. I don't know. It was Daniel's idea to go there. I think he sort of wanted to kick Zack's um...ass for me. You know how overprotective he is! He was as mad or madder at him than I was! I just know we had fun dancing, that's all.

But when Zack had the nerve to come up to Daniel and tell him that he was hogging all the publicity or something stupid, Daniel told the girl he was with that he was using her and that he had just left a date with me!

She's a model we both know at Mode. In fact, Stella's our cover for next month. She's really a nice girl but she wasn't too happy that he was only using her for publicity, like it said on the website. Anyway, I had had a few drinks, so when Daniel asked her and I if we wanted him to punch Zack for us, or if we wanted to do it…"

"You decided it was up to you to lay him out?" she laughed, shaking her head, "I would have done the same thing! Serves him right; treating my baby sister like that! What an ass...um...Estúpido!"

Betty laughed, "I don't think it's any better in Spanish, Hilda! But...I agree! He is."

She started taking off her coat and shoes and heading to get ready for bed, "I'm really beat! I'm getting some sleep! Goodnight!"

Hilda grabbed her younger sister's arm, "Oh no you don't! You still haven't told me what the deal is with that dancing? You can't tell me it didn't get you all hot and bothered! It looked like you both were really into it!"

Betty shrugged, smiling, "That's the thing about latin dancing. It's very sensual. You know that. Remember how jealous Henry got when Gio and I were dancing?"

"Yeah, and he had reason to! Gio was totally in love with you! But you… never really felt the same about him."

"You could tell that from my dancing?"

"Oh, yeah! You know what Shakira says, 'hips don't lie'!" she laughed, throwing out her hip, and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Haha! Very funny! Anyway, the answer is...I liked dancing with Daniel. Period. What do you want me to say? It was...sort of hot? Sure! He's a very good-looking guy. I'm not blind! But so what? We're friends! It's not like he's in love with ME! He's never made out with me, like he has you!"

"Oh my God! That was forever ago! And you'd better not ever tell Bobby!"

"I won't! Unless you give me reason to. I'd better not catch you going through my diary again."

"Why, is there stuff about Daniel in it?"

"No! I don't know. Maybe. You just...never mind what's in it! It doesn't matter what I think, anyway. I'm just an editor who works for him, his 'bestie', the girl who used to wear a poncho and has braces and glasses and frizzy hair and wears goofy clothes.

I'm the girl who used to follow him around, who bought his condoms and directed traffic in and out of his bedroom, who waited on him hand and foot when I was his assistant, as Christina always reminds me, 'I was 'addicted to the man', and maybe...she was a little bit right. I probably was a little too eager to please him back then. But I learned my lesson.

He's got his life now and I've got mine. We live in very different worlds. He'd never...well, he doesn't look at me...that way, okay? He's my buddy, he tells me about sex with other girls! I tell him about stuff, too.. Like crushes I have on guys.

We're not...seeing each other. We never have and we never will! God, Hilda, I get tired of repeating all this like a thousand times to everybody at Mode! I shouldn't have to try and convince my own sister that nothing is going on between me and Daniel!"

Hilda shook her head, as she turned off the light and went to the couch, "Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? It sounds to me as if you'd like that to change! It sure as hell looked that way on the dance floor, too! I'm just sayin!

You know, mami, a lot of that stuff you said about yourself is only temporary, or things you've already changed. Like...your hair is smooth most of the time, now. You've been dressing a LOT better and we'll find you a new orthodontist. It's not like that crazy guy you had is the only one in New York!"

Betty smiled, nodding as she took out the card Zack had given her, "No, he isn't! In fact, I'm going to leave a message right now to take care of that little change! Then, like Daniel said, I'll get the last laugh on Mr. Boule!"

Hilda shrugged, as she closed her eyes, after handing Betty her phone, showing the video that was on YouTube of her and Daniel dancing, "I don't really think HE'S the one you want to impress!"


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Darkest before the dawn._

For the next few weeks, Betty barely saw Daniel. She knew he was deliberately avoiding her. She was fairly certain he was keeping his distance from her in order to avoid adding "fuel to the fire" of the Mode rumor mill since their night dancing at the club.

She was somewhat distracted herself, trying to figure out a venue for her sister's bachelorette party (something that involved travel was apparently the most important thing to Hilda for some crazy reason). Betty had been considering asking Daniel if she could take Hilda with her to London Fashion Week.

However, she never seemed to be able to find him alone long enough to talk about it (or anything for that matter). He practically ran out of the room every time he saw her lately.

Enough was enough. This was getting ridiculous. She had waited for hours inside the men's room to talk to him when he was being manipulated by that bitch, Natalie in the stupid cult.

Now, she was tired of whatever had him so freaked out. Rumors be damned! They weren't guilty of doing anything besides dancing, for goodness sakes, so why was he hiding from her?

Daniel walked into his office, and when he turned on the light, she twirled around in his chair, "Hello, Daniel! How's it going?"

He jumped, and screamed, then realizing how high-pitched he sounded, he cleared his throat and tried to make light of the situation, "BETTY! Oh, hey, I'm fine! How are you doing?"

She narrowed her eyes, trying to discern why he was acting so strangely and still like he was frightened of her for some reason. He jumped when he saw her start to stand up, "I'm good, but we need to talk."

"Betty, I'm sorry, but I have a meeting to go to."

"Then why did you come in here?"

He grabbed a pen from his desk, avoiding eye contact with her, "I just came in here because I forgot this! Sorry, bye!"

She jumped out of the chair and ran to stand between him and the door, "You came back in here for a pen? Daniel, you're a terrible liar and you know it! So, don't even try!"

He tried to avoid looking down at her, "I'm not lying. Can you please...step aside and let me go?"

"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you. Not until you tell me why you're avoiding me! Is it because you think you have to 'protect' me from your terrible reputation? Please, Daniel, get over it! I have! I told you, I don't care what people say about us! I'm a tough chick from Queens, remember? I can take care of myself!"

He looked at her with respect but swallowed, then ducked under her to walk to his desk. "Whatever you say, Betty."

"Daniel, I have a favor to ask."

He took her place, sitting in his chair, and nodded, avoiding eye contact, and looking down at his computer somewhat nervously, "What do you need?"

"Hilda is driving me crazy wanting to travel for her Bachelorette party, so I was hoping you'd let me take her with to London Fashion Week. I can…"

"Yeah, sure, no problem-o! You can take your sister along. That's perfect!"

She nodded, "Okay. Wow! That was...easy. Thanks, Daniel."

He smiled, seeming relieved, "Yep. Glad I could help. Have a good time!"

"I'm sure we will. And don't worry, I'll get my work done first, before…"

"Betty, I know I can trust you to do your job. I'm not worried about that. Take care."

She smiled back at him, wanting to know what exactly was troubling him so much that he felt he couldn't talk to her. They were best friends; they shared everything! She walked behind him and leaned closer, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Daniel...please tell me what's wrong with you? You're still acting...different!"

He gulped, trying to fight his first instinct to dash out of the room, just like he'd been trying to do ever since that night when he realized he had to stay away from her or risk messing everything up with his crazy thoughts about her. He realized this little trip of hers to London was at least a reprieve for him. He couldn't do anything stupid about his crush on his junior features editor if she was a continent and ocean away!

So he sucked it up and pretended like everything was fine, and shrugged, trying his best to act nonchalant, "Oh, nothing. It's just this thing with my mom and Tyler, you know, family stuff! I guess I've been a little distracted

with it." He hoped he was a better liar than he felt like right now.

But she surprisingly seemed to buy it, and hugged him from behind, "Is that what's been going on with you? Oh my gosh, Daniel, I'm so sorry! I was worried you were avoiding me because...you know that night, with us dancing and…well, never mind. So, have you tried to talk to Tyler about it? Or your mom?"

He was grateful for the distraction and the chance to actually have a normal conversation with her again, without his palms sweating and his heart beating out of his chest. "Well, not my mom lately, but I have texted Tyler and asked him if he wanted to go have drinks with me next week."

Betty smiled, "That's great, Daniel! I'm so proud of you for being the bigger man and reaching out to your long lost brother."

"What, you're not going to tell me what a douche I've been, holding a grudge against the smelly cowboy because...I don't know, he's been such a pain in the ass since I first met him?"

"Well, first of all, that probably shouldn't be the first thing you say to poor Tyler when you take him out! You're blaming him because you didn't like his father? That's hardly fair; Daniel. You didn't really get along all that well with your own father, remember?

Not to mention, it's certainly not Tyler's fault that your mother chose to keep his existence a secret, either. That's something you need to work out with Mrs. Meade."

"What's with you? Are you suddenly on Team Tyler?"

"Daniel, I'm not on Team anything! I just think he came all this way to meet his family and you've been nothing but a total jerk to him. Whatever, just don't get too drunk! You know you say and do really stupid things when you've been drinking!"

"I don't see that! Wait, is this about...the other night? About...us? I know three drinks is a lot for you, but you're a lightweight. I was just getting warmed up! I was hardly drunk!"

"Not really helping your case, Daniel."

"My case? I don't know what you're talking about."

She stood over him, "Oh really? You have no idea? I meant…"

He looked up at her, standing over him with that judgy face of hers, those pouty lips, that soft skin. This was a no win situation. He had to get out of here, but she was a stubborn little thing. She stood in front of him, blocking his way, "Betty...I"m um...sorry, okay? I guess you figured out that I've been trying to avoid you since that night."

She rolled her eyes, "Well, possibly. You're not exactly...subtle. You literally ran away from me several times. I think people noticed."

He nodded, trying to look anywhere but into her eyes, because he knew she would know he was lying, "I think it's best if you go to London. I'm sorry if I messed things up. I think you'd better go before I do or say something stupid again."

"Go? You...really want me to leave?" her eyes looked clouded over and glossy.

"Well, not...forever, just for a week, right? With Hilda? I mean...you will...come back! At least, I hope so. But I think maybe we need some ...space for a bit and this is coming at a good time, that's all." He couldn't stand to think he was hurting her feelings.

He smiled, taking her hand in his, "I tell you what. Maybe...when you come back, I could...take you to your sister's wedding? As your...date? I mean, IF you're not going with anybody else."

"Your...um...date? Uh, yeah, sure, that could be...you know, fun, I guess, sure. I mean, I've been your plus one a lot of times. And it's not like I have a date right now, like my sister keeps reminding me every chance she gets!"

"Gee, way to make me feel like a...consolation prize, Betty! Look, um...we'll make it official, okay? I'll pick you up and take you out to dinner, something better than the bar food we had the other night. Maybe someplace nice, And then I can take you to the rehearsal dinner, and that way, nobody will get the idea that it's just a 'mercy date'.

We'll 'steal your sister's thunder' and have everybody talking about us and whether or not we're really dating or just friends. I mean, especially after the other night, we've already got the paparazzi wondering what's going on with us."

He winked, taking her hand and kissing it, "Maybe, you're going to London with your sister and to see Christina, because we had a lover's quarrel and you need to blow off steam with your gal pals, before coming back and making up with your new boyfriend."

She was flabbergasted for a moment, then stepped back, "That's very chivalrous of you, Daniel. But IS it just a 'mercy date'? Because if that's the case, thanks, but no thanks! I've had my share of those! I'm not really in the mood to be someone's charity case!"

"Betty! That's NOT what I meant, at all! Okay? I um...it's the complete opposite! I...um...I just don't...I don't trust myse...I'm afraid to be...um...I don't want to be...alone…with..."

She blinked, not ready to hear him give her some lame excuse about not wanting her to be lonely from Matt or feel like Zack used her right now. She knew Daniel was only trying to be her 'friend', to make her feel better about herself, but that only made her feel even more pathetic, even more like a total loser!

"You know what, I'll save you the trouble of running away from me, Daniel. I'll leave! This is your office! You don't have to worry about me keeping you here. I'll go. Gladly! See you...whenever! Don't worry; I'll do my job. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Meade. Goodbye, boss!"

"Mr. Meade, Boss? Betty, you don't understand. Wait!" He ran after her, but she managed to get on the elevator and closed the doors quickly. Daniel saw the look in her eyes as he watched the doors close in his face. He had really screwed things up now! Betty thought he only felt pity for her! Nothing could be further from the truth.

The next few days were spent packing and getting ready to leave for London. This time, it was Betty who ran every time she saw Daniel. She had no intention of talking to the man and having him give her some lame puppy dog eyes to try and get her to forgive him. He had managed to hurt her far more than either Henry, Matt or certainly more than that egomaniac Jesse or Zack!

She really didn't care about what any of them did or said. But if Daniel really thought she was some sad cat lady who would always be alone without his pity dates, she wanted nothing to do with him! She'd rather be alone!

He had sent her flowers, an embarrassing display of several dozen roses and three dozen daisies, as well as another orchid plant because she had accidentally knocked over the other one he had given her. She knew he meant well, but he just didn't understand. How could he? He had never had to worry about what people thought of him. He was born gorgeous!


	5. Chapter 5

"Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a young girl who never felt pretty. Mean people at her school called her ugly. She tried hard not to let it hurt her feelings.

She told herself when she looked in the mirror that maybe she wasn't the 'fairest of them all" but her parents had taught her that it was more important what kind of person she was than what she looked like on the outside. And for the most part, she believed that.

But when the girl grew up and got a job at a very fancy castle, working for a handsome prince, everyone there was even more mean than they had been when she was growing up.

They all made fun of her and put her down, trying to make her feel invisible. Everyone except the handsome prince. He was kind to her and listened to her ideas and soon they became good friends.

The prince didn't really see the girl at first, though, because after all, he was the prince and he had lots of pretty girlfriends running around after him to distract him.

Until something changed one day, when they danced together. Just like Beauty and The Beast were drawn together when they danced, so were the prince and his "friend". He really saw her and told her he thought she was beautiful and he began looking at her like, maybe, just maybe HE didn't think she was ugly at all.

But then he asked her out and said he only did it to make her feel pretty because he felt sorry for her! It hurt the girl even more than all the other people who had always been mean to her."

As Daniel read the email, he sighed. He texted, "Hilda, does your sister KNOW you sent this to me? Does she even know you read it?"

"Don't get hung up on trivial details, Mister! All I know is, she is driving me crazy, trying NOT to talk about you and all she does is end up talking about you. This is supposed to be a fun bachelorette party! But she's so sad, when she's not working! I just thought you might want to know that! So, the question is; what are you going to do about it?"

"Do you have any suggestions? She won't take my calls. She's still really mad at me! By the way, I definitely do NOT think she's a pity date or whatever crazy idea she got in her head! That's not what I meant at all!"

"I know that. You're not that dumb."

"Gee thanks! But how can I apologize if she won't even talk to me?"

"Well, you're Mister rich boy, fancy pants. Can't you use your plane to come here and sweep her off her feet? She's been working all the time ever since we got here. Maybe you could distract her from work, work, work?"

"I could do that."

"Good. We'll be in the pub in our hotel tomorrow night if you can make it. I'll make sure she's there. So…"

"Thanks, Hilda! I appreciate you finally taking my call and helping me! What changed your mind? I thought you were totally pissed at me, too?"

"Don't push it, Daniel! First of all, I've had to listen about you non-stop from Betty! And Justin keeps calling and telling me that I need to see your side of things and get you two crazy kids together, because...well, because I think he's playing the long game here and imagines himself somehow related to you! And finally, because I know how my sister really feels and I haven't seen her look so miserable since Henry left to go to Tucson!"

"Really? She's that upset...about me?" he seemed happy at first, but realized that didn't sound right, "That's terrible! I'll see you tomorrow night at the pub! Don't let Betty know I'm coming."

"Oh no! I want to see the shock on her face when she sees you followed her all the way across the ocean! Maybe that will show her how much you really do care about her!"

"I hope so!"

The next day, Christina and Hilda persuaded Betty to join them at the pub after she got done at the fashion show. She came in, talking about the various styles and chattering excitedly. After a while, she looked at her sister and friend and noticed they weren't saying much. "Are you two totally drunk? Why are you so quiet? What's going on? You've hardly said I word since I got back from work."

The ladies shrugged, laughing and both taking a drink. Betty narrowed her eyes, "Seriously, what's up with you guys? How long have you been here, getting drunk? I mean, I'd like to have fun, too, you know. I know it's just been work, work, work since I got here, but…" she saw them drinking three times and laughing and caught on.

"Is this some kind of drinking game?" she looked at her sister suspiciously, "Let me guess, every time I say work?" Hilda and Christina laughed again, taking another drink.

"Oh, haha! Very funny! Fine! To work!" she took a drink from the glass of Guinness to 'catch up'. The three women laughed and chatted amiably for a while. After some time, they ended up playing 'truth or dare'.

Christina asked, "Truth. Do you still fancy Daniel?"

Betty looked shocked by the question, then looked down at the table, thinking, "You mean, am I still 'addicted' to him like you told me when you were back in New York? I don't know. Maybe. Yes, okay, fine, I am! Are you happy? But it doesn't matter, because he just looks at me like a friend that he feels sorry for! I'm not some model or actress!"

"Well, he hasn't seen you without your braces, has he? You look a bit like an American actress with that dazzling smile of yours now, luv!"

"Aww...thanks, Christina! That's sweet of you to say, but I don't think it would make a huge difference to him. I'm still just me...Betty from Queens."

"What would you say to him if he was here? Are you still mad at him for hurting you? You know, he probably didn't mean to."

"You're taking his side, now?"

Hilda shrugged, "He sure sent a lot of flowers for somebody who's NOT interested in you! A guy doesn't try that hard to make up with a woman he only thinks of as a 'friend', Betty. Ooh, it's my turn-I dare you to flash-THAT guy!" she pointed to Daniel. She had spotted him when he came in and noticed her and Betty and she waved him to go to the bar.

Betty could only see the back of his head, but her eyes widened, "Flash some stranger in a bar? Are you crazy, Hilda? I'm not THAT drunk!"

Hilda took another drink and motioned her sister to do the same, "I'm the bride and I command it, so you HAVE to do it, Betty! Go on, live a little! If Amanda were here, you know she'd do it no questions asked! Stop being such a party pooper! It's my party!"

Betty steeled herself and took another huge drink then but down the glass, "Okay, fine, I'll do it!"

She walked over to the man and tapped his shoulder, "Excuse me, but my sister ordered me to show you some American charm, sir, so, USA!" she opened her shirt to reveal her bra as Daniel turned around, and his eyes widened, "BETTY? Jesus! What the hell are you doing?"

Betty's eyes practically crossed as she quickly covered herself. Christina and Hilda burst out laughing, and Hilda ran over to Betty and Daniel, taking out her phone, "Wait, wait, I missed it! Do it again, so I can get his look of surprise. Come on Betty."

"HILDA! Stop it!" Betty pulled away.

Christina smiled, "Yes, yes, luv, be nice! Here, Betty, let's turn this way and show the rest of us!"

"Haha! Very funny, you two! Daniel, what are you doing here?"

"I'll answer that when you tell me what you're doing flashing guys in a bar! Are you really THAT drunk?"

She shrugged, "No, yes, maybe! What's it to you? And you never answered me; what are YOU doing here? How did it go with Tyler?"

"One question at a time. I'm here for you, of course! Because you wouldn't take my calls."

She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him, "You crossed the Atlantic because I wouldn't take your calls? That's crazy, Daniel! I didn't answer because I was mad at you!"

He smiled, "Well, I figured out that much! LIke I said, that's why I'm here. To be your Handsome Prince again. I hate it when you're mad at me, Betty! I came to apologize in person. Just tell me how to fix things between us."

She smiled, biting her bottom lip, "That is...pretty sweet. Wait, did you say, 'handsome prince'? Where did you hear that? HILDA! You're lucky you're drunk! When you sober up; you're dead!"

Hilda laughed, waving her away, "Whatever! So I took his call? The man obviously cares about you. I mean, who does that? Will you at least listen to him? He came all this way. And you did just flash him!"

Betty narrowed her eyes, "YOU did this, HIlda! You knew it was Daniel! You made me flash him!" She looked down, "I'm so embarrassed!"

He smirked, giving Hilda and Christina a thumbs up, as he put his arm around Betty, escorting her away from the bar, "If you don't mind, ladies, I think I'm going to take Betty to get something to eat. Take it easy! And thanks for the intel."

As they walked outside, both silent for a moment, Betty looked up at him, "So."

"So."

"You um...know I don't normally do...that. Like...EVER!"

"I know that, Betty. I'm a very lucky man!" he grinned. "Very, very lucky! I mean, WOW!"

She blushed, avoiding eye contact, "Thank you."

He tilted his head to one side, smirking, "I don't suppose I could get an encore? Like your sister said, it happened way too fast!"

She rolled her eyes at him, hitting his arm, and pushing his arm away, teasingly, "Not likely, mister! Dream on!"

He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Oh believe me, I will!"

"I can't believe you came all the way to England just to apologize!"

He stopped, taking both her hands in his as he looked into her eyes, suddenly noticing her unencumbered smile, "I couldn't very well have you thinking I...um...holy shit! You...uh...got your braces off, huh?"

"Yes. Just before we left to come here."

"How do they feel?"

"Great, weird. Naked."

He smiled, "Naked?"

She flashed her smile, running her tongue over her teeth, "You know what I mean!"

He nodded, blowing out a breath at her insanely gorgeous smile, "You look, GREAT, Betty!"

She blushed again, "You really just now noticed?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, I got kind of distracted, what with you showing me your boobs and all!"

"Oh. Yeah. Right. That. Can we please not talk about that?"

"Talk? Possibly. But if you're planning on asking me to 'FORGET" about it or something crazy, I think I'd have to say there is no way in hell that's ever gonna happen! I'll be 'flashing' back to that little scenario when I'm eighty years old with fond memories!" He grinned, waving his hand like a headline banner, "The first time I saw Betty's boobs!"

"First? Does that mean you think…"

He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, as he whispered, "That I'm gonna see them again? Oh I KNOW there's going to be many, many more times, Betty. I promise you that! It would be a crime not to share something so beautiful! In fact, feel free any time the mood strikes you!"

She elbowed him, "Daniel! You're really never going to let me forget this, are you?"

He shook his head, holding her by her arms, then picked up her chin to look into his eyes, "No. Because I'm never going to forget it! Betty, listen I came here because I needed you to know how much I'm looking forward to taking you to your sister's wedding.

In fact, I'm hoping we can go out several times before then, maybe … practice our dance steps for the reception. I never meant for you to think I don't want to go out with you. I know I'm not a very good communicator. I was teasing and once again, it...well, it came out all wrong!

I want to be your date, your...boyfriend, your 'handsome prince', whatever you want me to be. Can you forgive me, please?"

She smiled, nodding, as she slid her hands onto his chest, causing his heart to start racing. "Uh huh. IF you promise you'll NEVER ever mention my little flashing incident again?"

He looked down at her hands, and placed his on top of hers, "Well played, Miss Suarez! Okay, fine! I promise."

She looked relieved, sighing, "Good! Now I just have to bribe Hilda and Christina! Thank God Amanda or Marc wasn't here to see that! They'd NEVER let me off the hook!"

He pulled her back as she started to walk away, and took her face in his hands, "Just wait one minute, lady! The only way I'm going to keep a promise like that is to seal it with a kiss!"

This time it was Betty's heart that began to beat out of her chest, "Seriously?"

He nodded, bowing his head closer towards her, and ran his index finger across her lips, "Oh hell yes! I mean, we've got to try out your new smile, right?"

"Uh huh…" she felt as if all of London was ablaze as he kissed her. She was in big trouble!

Daniel mumbled into her lips, "Better than...Zack?"

"Who?" she smiled, and pulled his shirt down to her level, deepening the kiss as she slid her arms around his waist.


	6. Chapter 6

When Daniel finally released her and they both came up for air, Betty looked down, feeling like her head was spinning and not from the alcohol! She took a step back and missed her footing, almost falling, but he caught her, "Whoa! Hey, are you okay? That does it, I'm taking you to bed!"

Her eyes widened, "WHAT?"

Betty was surprised to see Daniel actually blushing, as he looked at her, "No, Betty, I didn't mean...I'm just worried that maybe you had a little too much to drink, that's all, sweetie. I meant...you should go back to your hotel and get some rest.`"

She smiled, "Oh, yeah, that's probably a good idea. I am really tired."

He put his arm around her waist, as he hailed a taxi, "Well, don't think you have to get up early to 'work' tomorrow, okay? That's not necessary. You can have the rest of the week off. Um...I would like to take you out to lunch tomorrow, if you're free, though?"

"I'd love that!" She smiled.

As they rode quietly on the way back to her hotel, she drifted off, and her head fell first onto Daniel's shoulder, then eventually into his lap. He looked down at her, stroking her forehead softly as she slept and wondered how this happened. Part of him was scared to death to continue in this way with his best friend.

She stirred and moaned in her sleep and he couldn't help but stare at her. She sure was cute! She had no idea how gorgeous her new smile was, but it had pretty much made his knees buckle when she flashed it at him. And speaking of flashes...that move of hers back at the pub had totally floored him!

As the driver asked for directions, he remembered what she had done for him when she picked him up from the bar at Union Square, taking him home with her and allowing him to sleep in her bed so he wouldn't be alone when he was so drunk.

He smiled, thinking that her flashing escapade had seemed to sober her up considerably, but apparently, all her working in combination with the drinks had worn her out completely.

"Driver, sorry, can you take us to Claridges instead?" He figured he should probably make sure she was okay. It might be a little awkward the next morning for her to wake up in his bed, especially assuming she (hopefully) remembered those kisses!

But he wasn't sure how much longer Hilda and Christina would be staying out and he wasn't going to just dump Betty off in her hotel room alone when she was unconscious like this!

Luckily, by the time they arrived, it was late and he was able to bribe one of the staff members to help him "walk" Betty into the private elevator to his suite. She fluttered open her eyes as he held onto her tightly, then pushed the button. "Hey! How are you feeling?"

She moaned, "Tired! What is this place?"

He wasn't sure how she was going to take him telling her he had taken her to his hotel room. Surely he wasn't going to get slapped for trying to make sure she was safe and not leaving her alone. Of course he planned on being a gentleman and had no intention of taking advantage of her while she was passed out!

"Daniel! Where are we?" she looked around the elevator, and at his spacious, luxurious suite as the doors swished open. Her eyes widened, "Is this YOUR hotel?"

He cleared his throat, and nodded, "Uh...yeah, sorry, but I thought…"

She smiled, surprising him by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek, "You were worried about me being alone when I passed out? That's so sweet, Daniel! Thank you!"

He shrugged, his cheeks feeling slightly warm at her gesture, "Sure, Betty. It's the least I could do, after all the times you've taken care of me over the years when I was totally shit-faced! Um...I mean, not that you were really even all that bad! You didn't...say or...do anything…" why the hell was he suddenly tongue-tied around her? 

She laughed, "Well, I DID flash what I thought was a total stranger in a pub! That's not exactly...sober behavior! And obviously, I passed out...was I...sleeping in your lap in the taxi before?"

"Uh, well, yeah, you were. But I didn't mind. So...do you want to um...do you need help or do you want anything to eat? I could order us some room service if you're hungry."

"No thanks, I'm wiped out. I think I just want to go to bed. Are you going to stay up for a while?"

"Yeah, I'm still pretty wired. I slept a lot on the plane. Plus I'm still on New York time now, so I'm not tired at all. I'll probably stay up and watch TV for a while. I can find something for you to wear to sleep in. I'll stay out in the living room. You take my bed. It's in here." he opened the double doors to the bedroom and en suite bathroom.

Betty's eyes widened as she looked around and saw how "fancy" everything was, "Whoa! This place is unbelievable! It's way nicer than the room you usually get at The Four Seasons back in New York when you check in as Mr. Sickington or...back when you...you know, had your "book club" meetings!"

He laughed, "That's not been for a very, very long time!"

"I know. Daniel. So...uh...I think I'll go to bed now if that's okay."

"Sure, I have a shirt you can sleep in. Hang on." he dug through his suitcase that he still hadn't unpacked, since he practically ran to the pub after landing earlier that evening.

She looked down at his shirt and held it to her, "Thanks!"

He dug his hands in his pockets nervously, "So, I'll go brush my teeth and get comfortable. I'll close the door, and keep the TV sound down so you can get some sleep, okay?"

"Thanks, again for everything!"

"You don't have to keep thanking me. I'm your friend. Friends are there for each other, you know?"

"Uh huh." she was wondering if he thought _**friends**_ kissed one another the way they had earlier. Or flew across an ocean just to apologize for hurting the other one's feelings.

Daniel disappeared quickly after freshening up and telling her goodnight. Betty put on his Harvard tee, then slid into his huge bed, alone. She couldn't help but wonder what it might be like if he were to join her in that big bed. Judging from how the man kissed...she could only imagine how intense and...okay, keep it clean, Suarez! The man was only offering his bed as a gesture of friendship, he was being a complete gentleman.

Yes, they had kissed earlier. But that didn't mean anything necessarily. After all, a 'kiss was just a kiss', right? She tried to figure things out about her best friend and what he had in mind, but in the end, exhaustion won and she yawned, letting the world go black around her.

Meanwhile, Daniel was flipping through channels and trying to focus on watching anything on television when all he could think about was Betty, in the other room, laying in HIS bed. Wearing his shirt, no less!

He blew out a breath, telling himself this didn't change anything. True, he had taken fairly drastic measures to get her to forgive him, perhaps. What could he say; he couldn't stand having her mad at him!

Hopping on a plane and following her to London to apologize for being an idiot didn't mean he...felt any differently about his best friend. And that kiss was...okay, make that several kisses were only to 'seal the deal' that he would never rat her out to anyone back at Mode, particularly Marc and Amanda for her strip tease at the pub. Okay, maybe once he started kissing her, he couldn't make himself stop. And she definitely didn't seem to object to his kisses.

And assuming Betty was able to bribe her sister and Christina, her flashing him would remain their little secret. Or...not so little. What the hell, was she like a D? Keep it clean, Meade! Stop thinking about Betty's boobs! But damn, they were sure nice, make that insanely AMAZING boobs!

He leaned back, closing his eyes, and tried to convince himself that his best friend sleeping in his bed was still just that, a _**friend**_. It wasn't like they hadn't fallen asleep at one another's places in the past from time to time. Hell, when she was trying to help him get his shit together after Molly died, she practically camped out at his place for weeks, playing games, watching old movies and ordering in, anything to distract him from feeling so alone.

She really was a good friend. She was the one person he knew he could always count on being there for him. Truthfully, he was scared to death he might do something really stupid and mess up the incredible connection they now had. He had never once known a woman who was anything like Betty. Did he cross the line, kissing her and flirting with her, teasing her about her flashing? The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away.

Several hours later, just as he felt himself drift off "DANIEL! HELP ME!" he heard her screaming for him loudly, so he went rushing into the bedroom, and found she was tossing and turning, having some kind of nightmare.

He rushed to her, sitting on the side of the bed, and lifted her up slightly, holding onto her as she sobbed, "Hey, Betty, it's okay. It's me, Daniel. It's just a nightmare. You're going to be alright. I'm here."

Her eyes fluttered open as she blinked at first He handed her glasses to her from off the nightstand, then brushed back her hair from her face, "What's the matter? Do you remember what happened in your nightmare?"

She bit her lower lip and nodded, "Mhmm...kind of."

"What was it? Zombies? Vampires? Frankenstein? Wilhelmina?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood, since she seemed terrified.

She shook her head, "Nothing. It was silly" she tried to dismiss him, but he knew her too well. He could tell how upset she still was.

"Betty, please tell me what it was about. Look at you, you're still shaking!"

She looked down rather than into his eyes, "Uh...I was having a nightmare about the fire. With...Renee."

He pulled her close to him, and held her tightly, as he whispered, "Oh, Betty! Honey, I'm so, so sorry about that! You're still scared about that night? Of course you are! You poor baby! I still can't believe I actually… dated someone related to Wilhelmina Slater! I should have known she was nothing but trouble! And I will never forgive myself that my stupidity put YOU in danger like that!

It should have been ME who was there, not you! You...um...Renee must have thought I'd be home, so she came there, looking for me. But you came over…remind me again, WHY did you come over there, if you KNEW she would be there? Why didn't you call me...or the police or both?"

Betty shrugged, "I didn't know, really. I guess I didn't think straight. I just...was worried that you were in danger."

He shook his head, as he stared into her eyes, brushing back a strand of hair that fell back across her face, and whispered, "My hero! You're always running around, chasing after me, trying to rescue me, Betty. Why do you do that? And don't tell me it's your job. It's not anymore. It never was...to the extent that you did it! And please don't tell me it's just because I'm your 'friend'!"

She blew out a shaky breath, trying to control her sobs and shrugged, "What do you want me to say, Daniel? I care about you...very much. You're important to me. I don't want to see you get hurt. I hated what Sofia did to you and...Alexis and...I wish I could have helped more when you were in so much pain after Molly died. I guess...it's because…"

He desperately wanted to hear her say those words to him. He knew he had made her realize her feelings for him were perhaps stronger than either of them were willing to admit right now. But apparently part of Betty was still in denial. There was no stupid Henry or Matt or anyone else for her to run to, to hide from him anymore. And he wasn't "going for the obvious" again this time. Finally, it was down to just them, like it was always meant to be. It was back to these two people. These two people who were finally starting to realize they were deeply in love with each other.

She saw that look in his eyes. The look that frightened her. She didn't know what else to do at this point. She needed a distraction from the intensity in his eyes, from the longing and desire she was certain she saw there. So, she kissed him.


	7. Chapter 7

Betty tossed her glasses back on the nightstand and grabbed hold of Daniel's face, pulling him to her for a searing kiss. It was a drastic measure, but she was desperate. She had to do something to stop herself from saying the words she might regret, to stop him from saying...what she was scared he might say. They had been friends for almost four years now. What was going on, suddenly to change that? Things were moving way too fast!

This was all stupid Zack's fault! If Daniel hadn't felt he had to take her out dancing that night, to get back at Zack for dumping her...who knows, things might have gone on the same as they had always been. Her, watching on the sidelines, while Daniel did something silly, like keep on dating girls like Amanda! Was that really what she wanted, though?

Okay, maybe trying to distract Daniel by kissing him while she was in his bed hadn't been the brightest idea after all. She felt him react to her surprise attack with a heat and passion she had never felt before. He slid his hands around her waist, pulling her body closer to his, and moaning into her lips.

She felt his tongue exploring her mouth, and his hands had begun to wander over her body to the point that she was starting to get swept up. Before she knew it, he was touching her in ways that made her forget her name. The man was kind of an octopus; what was going on here?

"Daniel...um...what are you doing?" she panted, as he started kissing her neck and rolling on top of her on the bed.

"Huh? I thought you were...you know...excited?"

She pushed him away, "It was supposed to be just a kiss!"

He pushed himself away, "JUST a kiss? In my bed? With you wearing THAT? Sorry, but...okay, Betty, what the hell is going on here? I'm...confused. You act like you want me, but then you put the brakes on.

Can you PLEASE tell me what you DO want? Make up your mind, woman! I think our little 'teamwork' thing needs to do some re-assessing. You say I'M a bad communicator! Why did you kiss me?"

She shrugged, shaking her head, "I don't know."

He sighed, trying to clear his head, to get better control of himself, to shake off her come on, "Bullshit! Why are you lying? You do too know why! I think you were trying to keep from saying how you feel about me just now, weren't you?"

"Maybe."

He spoke softer now, smiling as he touched her cheek, "Okay. Do you need me to say it first, is that it? Because I think I know exactly how you feel. I care about you a lot, too, sweetie I can't imagine my life without you. Hell, I couldn't even think straight when you came here and were only gone a few days, I missed you so much! Betty, I lov…"

She kissed him again. This time, Daniel lay down across the center of the bed and pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her. And she ran her hands on his bare chest, underneath the tee shirt he was wearing.

After a few minutes of kissing feverishly, she helped him pull his shirt off completely, then took a deep breath as she reached out and touched his chest. God, the man was built! His chest was so firm and perfect. She was having a very difficult time focusing on anything else right now other than how hot he was.

He lay on his back, looking up at her with wonder, touching her cheek softly, "God, you're amazing, Betty! You're so beautiful, you're smart, you're funny, you have the sexiest damn lips I've ever kissed, and your smile is like… uh ...sunshine? And okay, maybe I already used that line on you, but it's true!

I'm just wondering; are you going to keep kissing me to shut me up every time I try to tell you I'm in love with you? Is that what this "attack" is all about? I mean, not that I object. Quite the contrary. But, it's not working very well, is it?"

She made a face, "I noticed! Not the brightest idea I've ever had, was it?"

He chuckled, "Uh, well, no, not really. Kissing the guy who uses sex as a distraction to 'distract' him? Afraid not, honey. Now, instead of just kissing you chastely and telling you how much I love you I'm kind of revved up and thinking I want to sleep with you tonight, but...hey, whatever turns you on, baby. I mean, when you think about it, four years IS a hell of a long time for being in the 'friend zone', isn't it?"

"Friend zone? Is that what you think we were in?"

"No. I guess you're right. That's not what I'd call it, really."

"What would you call it then, other than just friendship?"

"Foreplay!" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning.

Betty laughed, but took the moment to try and cool down their passionate kissing and stood up, "Daniel, I think...we need to stop this before we go any further, don't you? You're right. I was scared to talk about my feelings, so I kissed you. But that wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry. I don't think we should...um...keep this up…"

"I swear, if you say we don't know each other well enough, Betty…"

"No, it's not that. I mean, of course we know each other...pretty well."

He sighed, getting out of bed, and standing up, somewhat invading her space as if he were going to kiss her again, but instead, leaning down to grab her glasses and put them on her, "You might need these to see better, sweetie.

Although that was pretty damn sexy when you threw them off, I really liked the 'sexy librarian' move if that's what you were going for, it definitely turned me on. Obviously." he glanced down at his still erect penis, then walked towards the living room, leaving Betty in surprise.

She saw that he was sitting on the large, comfortable sofa, with a blanket over his lap when she walked in. He patted the seat beside him, "Sit down, please. I'd say you could sit in my lap, but..that might not be wise right now. Hopefully, we can just talk for awhile and I'll be okay soon, without having to take a cold shower."

She sat down cautiously, chewing on her bottom lip and sitting with her legs folded under her. She went to grab part of his blanket, "Can I have some, please?"

"Sure! But I thought you said you wanted to wait?" He laughed, raising one eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes, hitting his arm, "Very funny!"

"Alright, alright, sorry, of course. Here you go. I'll share. Get over here." She moved slightly closer and he waved to her, "closer. I won't bite. Unless you want me to." he teased, putting the blanket over her legs as well as his.

Once they were both comfortable, he smiled at her, "So...how long have you REALLY had a crush on me, Betty? Was Renee actually right all along? Or did it start even sooner, back when you first saw me? Was it love at first sight?"

She rolled her eyes, shoving his chest, then pulled away, seeing that naked chest of his, "No! Get over yourself, Daniel! I did NOT have a "crush" on you at first, because you were...well...frankly kind of a self-involved, spoiled JERK! I didn't agree with Sofia Reyes's mean-spirited, unfeeling way of teaching you a lesson for her own gain, BUT I did agree that you needed to stop treating women like your own personal playthings!

And although Grace Chin was only out for revenge at first, she didn't have it totally wrong, either when she made you realize that you had hurt a lot of women in your past! You had a LOT of growing up to do when I first met you!"

He nodded, taking her hand in his, "All true, sadly! It took you, being my friend anyway, showing me unconditional love and support that I never got from my dad, and me, losing Molly to help me have at least a slightly better idea of what love really means and that it's something to be cherished, not disregarded or treated lightly, like a 'toy'. But that's not sex, it's real love, Betty. And I've always _**loved**_ you, what you showed me it means to care about somebody, to be there for them. YOU are the one who really taught me how to do that because you did it for your family and for me.

Honestly, I would never in a million years have even looked at a girl like Molly let alone married her if I hadn't known you first. You made me a much better version of myself. But lately...I've been really trying NOT to notice how much you've changed, how much you've grown, too. Because if I did, I'd have to stop 'distracting' myself with work, or with...girls like Amanda, I'd have to admit to myself just how much I love you, and how that love has grown into something different, something much deeper, just like we both have in our own ways. Does that...all make sense?"

She nodded, tears in her eyes, and bit her lower lip, "Yes! Of course it makes sense, Daniel! It's...that's...absolutely the sweetest, kindest, most...wonderful thing anyone's ever said to me! I love you, too!

You...you're...the most giving and generous person I've ever met! I don't just mean with your money, but with your soul! You do care about people, and you have such a huge heart! I appreciate everything you said, but I don't really think I can take credit for your 'education' as much as…"

He cut her off with a kiss this time, pulling her to him, and wrapping his arms around her as their lips blended. When she finally pushed away, she smiled, "Um...was that to shut ME up?"

"Uh huh."

She started to get up, but he pulled her back down onto the sofa, "Touche, Daniel. I guess I deserved that. Although, it's not much of a punishment! Listen, I...think I'd better go back to my own hotel, before I...before we...you know, do something we'd both regret, like we did in The Bahamas, only...well, this time, at least we'd be doing it with the right person. Just maybe not at the right time."

He raised his eyebrow, "Wait, so...you regret sleeping with Matt back then?"

She nodded, looking down at first, "Uh huh. I have a really bad habit of not being willing to let go of a relationship when I should. Out of...I don't know, fear of being alone or something, I suppose. But I definitely had decided I was done with Matt, and was more than willing to 'give him' to Amanda. I really thought they made a good couple. I was just having a hard time letting go, like I always do.

And Matt...well, I think he did what he always does and changed his mind about who he wanted. First, he wanted her, then when he had her, he decided he wanted me again, just because I was vulnerable and STUPID enough to take him back!

Then we went from one crazy thing to the next, those scary paintings of his and the baby scare and…" she stopped, looking up quickly as she realized what she had just said.

Daniel looked at her, squeezing her hand that he had never let go of, "Baby scare? You thought you were pregnant?"

She nodded, "Uh huh."

"You never told me that!"

She shook her head, "I...know. I...couldn't. I didn't want you to know. For some reason. I didn't want anyone to know. It would have made it more...real. Besides, I couldn't tell YOU, Daniel. It felt...wrong."

He pulled her into his arms, and hugged her gently, stroking her hair, as he rested his chin on top of her head, "I wish you would have told me. You could have talked to me about it, Betty. We tell each other everything. I would have understood. I'm sorry...you lost a baby. You'd make a great mom! I mean...you sure 'mommy' me all the time. And your whole family. Were you...happy about it?"

She pulled away and gave him a look and he chuckled, "Oh! Okay. So...I take it you weren't happy about it, then?"

"NO! Definitely not! I was terrified! Which made me seem even more awful when Matt was all happy about it and excited thinking I was pregnant!"

"Sweetie, how did that make you seem awful? It just means you're more mature than he is. Because you realized neither of you were really ready to be a parent!"

She smiled, "How do you always do that? You always make me feel good about myself!"

"Well that's pretty easy. Most of the time, you SHOULD feel good about yourself because you're such a good person!"

"Thank you. You are, too, you know."

"Well, thank you, Betty. Coming from you, I'll take that as an even bigger compliment. Wait, before you said...at least now we'd be doing it with the right person. So, does that mean you think...I'M the right person for you?"

"Maybe." she blushed.

He grinned, "Don't 'maybe' me, Suarez! You drive me crazy sometimes, you know that, right? Look, Betty...I really don't want you to leave. I mean, I can't make you stay here tonight, of course, but I think it's something we'll both regret if we DON'T do it. Maybe not tonight. But tomorrow and for the rest of our lives."

"You're so silly sometimes, Daniel!" She rolled her eyes, hitting his chest, but keeping her hands on him.

He smirked at her, raising his eyebrows, and put his hands over hers, then lifted them both up and kissed them, one by one, holding them up, "Yes, I know I am, but you love me, anyway, don't you, Betty?"

"Maybe." she teased.

"Okay, that does it! You're in for it, now! I'll tell you what. Let's treat London like Vegas. If you don't want anyone back at Mode to know we're...together, that's up to you. I'll keep my mouth shut. Especially if you keep kissing me to shut me up in private! But as for me, I think that Boule character was a total idiot! I want everybody to know just how much I love you, Betty!"

"Prove it!" she bit her lip, smiling at him.

"Yes, ma'am! I thought you'd never ask!" he took the blanket off himself and her, revealing that he had never 'gotten over her' and pulled her to him for another kiss, as she fell on top of him on the sofa.


End file.
